Zedekiah

Zedekiah, originally named Mattaniah, was the last king of Judah before the Babylonian exile. He was the son of Josiah and the uncle of Jehoiachin. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, appointed him as a vassal king after deporting Jehoiachin. Zedekiah reigned for 11 years, but he did evil in the sight of the Lord. Despite the warnings of the prophet Jeremiah, Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon, leading to the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. During the siege, Zedekiah sought counsel from Jeremiah but did not heed his advice to surrender. When the city fell, Zedekiah attempted to flee but was captured. His sons were killed before his eyes, and then he was blinded and taken to Babylon in chains. Zedekiah's reign ended in tragedy, marking the fall of the kingdom of Judah and the beginning of the Babylonian exile.